A New Opportunity

AN: Thanks to everyone who has read and enjoyed this story so far. This will be the end of part one, and probably the end of putting chapters out at this pace. I wanted to see if I could still crank pages, and after this week I feel like I can. I'll be back to typing on my original work, but I'll get cracking on Part 2 as I get time.

The song is I Will Always Think of You by Jane Karkowski and Coleman Domingo.

Please feel free to send any notes, hopes, or theories for the future. I really like playing in this space. Uraraka is really a thoughtful character and I can't wait to do more with her in the future. Deku is terrifying in his own way when he's being a hero, so I'm glad I got to flash a little of what would make a Villain Deku so fucking terrifying. Still, time to simmer things down a little and bring this train into the station.

Peace and love till next time. – SJ

Uraraka dozed in and out of sleep as she listened to the steady beep of Yami's EKG. She hated the disinfectant smell of hospitals. Combined with the chairs that were too small to curl up and get comfortable in and the long week of sleepless nights, she was looking forward to the weekend. She might finally lay her head down on a pillow and drift into fretless nothing.

Yami shifted in the bed, turning to the nodding off hero. He considered the sensation in his toes. He had it again. Same could be said for legs, pelvis, everything below his stomach really.

"Yes he fixed us up real good!"

Uraraka yelped as Dark Shadow swelled into the room and flexed his mended wings.

"That's enough out of you. Now apologize to our friend."

"I'm sorry, Uraraka," the cheeky creature said. He sidled up next to the woman, eyes staring up at her. She knew what it wanted. Her fingers found the soft corner under his chin that sent shivers through his inky form.

"Mmmmmm I'm so happy he called you. You give the best scratches."

"I'm happy Yami called me, too." She looked at her friend. Tokoyami rarely had variation in the emotions he showed. His beak didn't allow for much in the way of smiling, and his default setting was brood. Still, he had expressive eyes when he needed to convey something, and Uraraka could tell something troubled him.

"How's work been for you, Uraraka?"

"Oh, well I'm kind of on leave."

The night after her date with Izzy, Uraraka dragged herself into work waiting for any word. A war waged within her, duking it out over whether she should go to Ryuku immediately and launch a rescue…or possibly recover what was left…of her friends, or if she should believe in the word of the new man in her life. Calling him anything else seemed like it was too fast, but it was still something deeper than just a fling. It had to be for things to have spiraled like they had.

It turned out that she didn't need to look for her boss. Ryuku pulled her aside the minute she walked through the door.

"You still haven't filed that report?"

"I can get right on it."

"No." the dragon lady turned her around and started marching her back through the door. "As of this moment. You're on leave. Vacation. Call it whatever you want, but do not come back into this building until I say so. Hawks warned me and few other Pros what to do if he went dark."

Went dark? What was going on with Hawks? Was he involved in last night?

"Suffice it to say, it's going to be better if you stay out of the office until I can figure this out."

"Wait, so what am I supposed to do? My friends are in danger. We need to-"

Ryuku held up her hand. She put her hand on Uraraka's shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze.

"I know about that too, and that's why I know you need to stay away from hero work till this cools down. All I can say right now is that the HA is pissed. I watched one of their suits walk in expressing condolences and outrage at what a failed mission we had on our hands. Then they went white once the reports came in about survivors being airlifted to the central hospital."

Survivors meant that there were losses. But that didn't mean that either Kiri or Mina couldn't have made it through.

"My orders to you, Uraravity are to go check on your friends, and then keep your head down. Do it for me, okay?"

"And that's what I did," she finished explaining to Yami. Her friend had nodded along, showing signs of relief when she began to tell him about Mina and Kirishima.

The pair of them had been discharged with minor scrapes and bruises. Uraraka couldn't believe their luck, but when Kiri started to tell her about what they suffered at the hands of the villains, her confusion grew. Her friends shared her concern.

"The doctors told us we were all passed out when we arrived at the hospital. Kendo was missing fingers when we were pulled from that warehouse, but you couldn't tell which ones if you looked at her. Tetsu and Babe were barely holding onto life. Camie and I barely had any blood left in our bodies. All of us woke up and walked out of the hospital that day. It's like Recovery Girl took a quirk booster and cloned herself five times over!"

Mina began to rock back and forth. Her husband put his arms around her, holding her steady. He didn't say a word. She tried to get him to talk, but the jovial man she'd come up through UA with stayed stoic. Silent. Mina saw Uraraka's discomfort and pulled her husband tighter to her.

"He's still taking the losses pretty hard. Fatgum was Miri's godfather. It's still hard to believe he's gone."

"Of course."

Yami nodded along with her retelling, pausing only when she mentioned the injuries.

"And they said their wounds were healed when they arrived at the hospital? And they have no recollection of how?"

Uraraka nodded. She watched her friend as his eyes drifted out into space.

"Did something similar happen to you?"

"When I got to Tartarus, they had to sedate me. The reports said that my spine was shattered in several places. Dark Shadow's body was broken as well. I never heard them say it, but as they were lifting me from the battlefield, I remember trying to move my toes."

He looked at her. Lifting his legs under the thin hospital sheets he was give more for his modesty than his warmth.

"My legs are fine now."

"The surgeon said that you were misdiagnosed. They told me they prepped the operating room to fuse your spine but found only minor stress fractures."

"I know what I felt."

"And I believe you."

They were both silent after that. Uraraka mulled over everything that had happened to the heroes in the last few days. Two of the three people who might…no, had a clue about what was going on couldn't or wouldn't talk to her. The third sat before her in this room.

"Tokoyami, I have to know. What were you doing at the ambush, that night? No one was supposed to be on overwatch. I've seen the roster. Hawks is missing, and Ryuku won't tell me what's going on."

Neither will Izzy

The thought stung, but she put that away for now. He'd kept his promise to her. She would have to begin to trust him, but only if she could gain some understanding in what was going on around him. Around all of them.

"Please, Yami, I need to know."

Her friend stared down at his wiggling toes.

"Four months ago The League of Villains followed a leaked Hero's Association rumor that a former member, Deku, was living in America as the super villain Jericho."

"The Mad Dog of Kamino Ward, right? I remember no one really knew who he was and he went missing our second year."

"Yes. The rumor was that Lemillion, who was Sir Nighteye's new bright boy at the time, went rogue and worked a case involving Deku, but instead of arresting the villain, Sir Nighteye helped him gain passage to America and start a new life. That was the rumor anyway, until reports started coming from Interpol that the League had started a war with Jericho and his organization. You know the rest from the newstories."

Uraraka mulled it over. Lemillion was considered a shining example in the Hero community. Seventh in the charts for reasons no one could figure as more people every year swore they voted him number one. She waited for Yami to continue his explanation. His discomfort was growing.

"A couple days after Shigaraki's death, an Izuku Midoriya appears on Japanese shores with the political clout and resources to not only start building a night club, but fast track its liquor permits and draw in dignitaries and politicians from across the world. Some of them are Hero Society board members who are asking this new club owner for help coordinating the tracking and elimination of All for One. Most heroes don't know this, but the HA reaches out to foreign…specialists…all the time for this kind of work. What attracted Hawk's attention was that they don't usually reach out to dead people.

Bakugou's reaction made sense to her. He had insisted over and over again that Izzy couldn't be who he said he was.

"Legally speaking he's been dead for eight years. No body was ever found, but he jumped off a roof and fell into the river. Bakugou doesn't know that we know this, but the man still keeps in contact with Izuko's mother. He visits her every year on the anniversary of his death."

"Wait so go back, letting the villains get the body was Izzy's…Izuku's idea?"

"Kind of," he said and turned his head in shame. "He gave us the idea. It was the HA that decided it needed to be a bloodbath to be believed. Hawks and I were supposed to monitor when the body left to a secondary location, track it, and wait for All for One to show. At that point, we were supposed to follow AFO to his base of operations. We could have called in reinforcements at any time. Izzy's original relied on it. Called for us to attack the base like you convinced him to. Yes, I know all about your boyfriend."

The blood ran from her cheeks. She was wide awake now.

"We-e're not…I me-ean we're…why is that important?"

"Because I was part of the team that planned that sting. The board noticed from what little intel we could gather Izzy seemed to have an admiration for you and your work. We knew he was a fanboy, and knew you'd just gotten out of bad breakup with Iida. Some of the boys and girls in missions thought creating a romantic relationship with a hero might get us the leverage we needed to keep him in check. They gave it some name too like Operation Cupid. Threatening to expose his past with Lemillion was all it took to get him to comply with the board sanctioned version of the Shigaraki mission. They figured a relationship with would mean we owned him"

Uraraka thought back to Eri. Izzy told her that the girl had suffered at an early age, seeking comfort from him still even though she had to be at least ten years old.

There are things I can't tell you. You know why.

Izzy would do anything to protect that child. Even go along with a plan that he knew was doomed to failure and needless death. It was a blind spot in the man that scared her, but she'd convinced him to defy the board's wishes. What had changed?

"Yami, what is the board planning for Izzy?"

"I couldn't say. For now, there are "no contact" orders on him throughout all the black and wet work sectors of the HA. They're trying to gather a lot of information on him though, and they're keen to get you to help. My guess, after AFO is taken care of, if he's taken care of, they'll turn on him."

"So what will he do?"

Her friend shrugged. He leaned back into his pillow and shut his eyes.

"I don't know. If he's willing to risk the world finding out about his past as Deku, he must have a plan or something. I'm afraid I won't be much help to you going forward."

"Why is that?"

"They'll disavow me soon. I'm sure of it. There won't be anything public, but they'll ask me to hand in my license and fade away. Honestly, I don't see much of an alternative. I'll be glad to be out of it though."

Uraraka wanted to ask more questions, but a knock came on the door. Kirishima walked into the room alone. He gave her a weak smile, and went to Yami's side.

"Bro, you look like shit."

"Look who's talking. Those arms don't look nearly as shattered as I remember them."

"And you're moving your toes and legs. Neat trick for someone who should be a paraplegic."

Neither man was really laughing. Uraraka sensed the gallows humor both men were trying to put on hid something eating away at each of them. In the past thirty minutes she'd received more straight answers than she'd got in the last week. The possibilities swirled in her head and refused to settle into a coherent line of events. She felt like her brain was turning into one of Shoto's conspiracy boards. She needed time to think.

"Uraraka," Kirishima broke her from her thoughts. "Could you give us a minute?"

She nodded. She patted Yami's shoulder and gave Dark Shadow a few chin scratches for the road. She was gone for maybe two minutes before Izzy was sure that the coast was clear. He walked into the room.

Uraraka wasn't religious, but she knew the hospital had a chapel, and the quiet always would provide her with some space to think. The hospital put a little more into the space than she'd imagined. A small piano sat in the entryway, with the small room being separated from the larger worship space by an arched doorway. She took her seat on one of the pews and began the task of untangling everything she'd heard. She didn't notice someone joining her two pews back.

"It's a fickle thing, faith. In something or someone."

Uraraka said nothing. She recognized the voice as one of the suits she'd seen making their way through the agencies. This one had been there when Ryuku seemed so upset. She was there before the mission that cost them two good heroes and scores of officers.

"Personally, I put my trust in knowledge. What I can know, and what I can use, firsthand. It's important to know exactly what you're dealing with, don't you agree, Miss Uraraka?"

She remained silent. Yami had told her they would come for her. They were the governing body of all heroics, and yet she felt herself in danger. The woman stood up, crossed the pews, and laid her card on the seat beside her.

"When you're tired of being a little girl in a fantasy, and are ready to work with the adults, you let me know. My number is on the back of the card. Enjoy the peace, Miss Uraraka, and the quiet."

The suit walked off, closing the door behind her. Alone again, she looked down at the piece of stiff paperboard.

WALLER

Heroe's Association Deputy Chief

Izzy stood before them, arms crossed, waiting for their answers. The two men before him looked between him and each other, waiting for someone to break the silence. It was birdman who spoke first.

"Are you out of your fucking mind? Why would I join you? Kirishima, you can't be considering this."

"I've already decided. I'm doing it."

That was one. Izzy was surprised. Out of the two of them, Kirishima struck him as the chivalrous hero who would sooner die that work with a villain in any capacity. He figured that Hawk's protégé would hold a similar world view to the spy extraordinaire. Well, he was glad he could be surprised still. Not as surprised as Yami looked though.

"Kiri, you're the most noble hero I know. You have a family to think about. What would Mina say?"

"She knows, and she approves. The day I got back they offered me the chance to take over Fatgum's agency. Mina and I agreed, and I turned them down. We're coming to work for Izzy."

"He's a villain!"

"Who saved all our asses. My daughter gets to keep her parents, because of that villain. You get to walk, because of that villain. We both see how little the HA cares about our lives, because of that villain."

"Kind of hard not to take that personally, guys."

"SHUT UP!" they both shouted. Izzy rolled his eyes. Heroes were easily the most dramatic people he'd ever met.

"The point is, Yami, There's a war coming. All for One is still out there, and the HA is going to throw our bodies at him until he dies or drowns in the corpses. That might be fine for you, but if I'm going to risk my possible future of raising my daughter with Mina, I'm following the man I believe won't risk my life unless it's necessary."

"That's not very heroic."

"No it's not, but it'll let me save lives, and come home to those I love. Join us Yami."

The dark hero flicked his gaze between the two men. Izzy stepped forward, opening his arms, and tried to appear as candid as possible.

"I'll keep both of you away from the sordid sides of my business. You'll never be asked to do anything that'll go against your morals, and I offer you my protection for you, and those you love."

"And how will you protect those you love from the board?" Yami asked. "We've lost our chance to find All for One. They'll release everything they have on you. They'll begin to attack you however they can."

"No, because I succeeded where they failed. I've got a man on the inside who knows All for One's location. As long they need me for that," a goofy smile spread across their new boss's face, "I'm untouchable."

They agreed to meet at the club once Yami was released that night. Kirishima stayed behind to sooth birdman's ruffled feathers. Izzy was sure Yami would be sore at him for a while, but he'd come around. Both men had big hearts, and while that could make them easy to manipulate, Miss Josephine taught him that their earned loyalty meant they would go to hell and back for him. He just had to prove he'd do the same. One rescue mission gave them both their lives back. How hard could their loyalty be to win?

Izzy found himself with the rest of the day free. He could go home and rest, but he felt drawn to the chapel. He saw a piano in their on his way into the hospital, and he could use some music therapy. He stopped before turning down the hall.

"Bold of you to seek me out after such failure, Toga."

A woman in a nurse's gown came out of the shadows. Not one of the woman's usual looks, but he guessed she'd gone with whatever was on hand.

"I know I screwed up, but considering you're going to war with AFO, and probably the Hero's Association if what I've been hearing is true, you still need someone like me. Keep Twice safe, and I'll serve you loyally till-"

"Agreed." He held out his hand.

Toga looked at it with confusion.

"Just take the damn hand, Toga. Twice is fine. He's cleaning my clubs in the morning. I couldn't keep him in that dungeon. My staff uses that space for storage. Besides…"

He shook her hand and began walking down the hall.

"Hawks blew your cover because I asked him to. Up till then, you were playing your role perfectly."

"You…what? How dare you you son of a…ohhhhhhhhaaaaaahhhh!"

People stopped and stared at the strange nurse. What could that man possibly have said to her that made look so angry, homicidal and…horny?

She'd stayed in the church pew thinking till her mind went blank. It was Friday tomorrow. One week ago, she was in the dumps over a bad break-up that spilled out into her job and worried her friends. Then she'd been dragged into a mission she didn't know she was at the center of and dropped into a typhoon of intrigue and bullshit that made her head ache and her body feel like it needed several hours in a hot springs.

Somehow during all of this, she'd caught feelings for a villain. A sweet, kind, caring villain who made her feel special and scared and worried that she wouldn't be enough for this world she found herself in. All she wanted to do was save people and support those closest to her. It'd seemed like a simple thing just last week, even if she'd thought she was failing at it.

Behind her she could hear someone testing out the piano. They tapped a few keys, and then a few more.

Must be checking for intonation.

Her mom used to play piano at the local church. No one in her family was religious but listening to stories from an old book and some guy's ideas about them seemed a small price to pay in her mother's mind for potluck dinners on Wednesday nights and free access to a piano during the week. Her Dad's love of Jazz and American music didn't come from any talent of his own, but her mom learned songs to play for him. At night, as a little girl, they would all use the key the pastor gave them, and mom would play the piano for Dad. While kids her age were being dragged to piano lessons and being yelled at by their tutors, Uraraka's mom sat with her at the bench and guided her fingers across the keys, laughing with her as Dad danced across the church floor.

Uraraka saw an alternate exit to the right of the arched door and started to walk to it. The person in the other room began playing. It was a something slow and simple. Wistful, if she'd been asked to put more thought into it.

"I will always, think of you."

She'd know that voice anywhere. She went to the door, seeing Izzy at the piano. His eyes were closed.

"I see your face, when each day is through. And day's go paaaasst."

"Oh so fast"

He stopped and turned around. She smiled at him, watching as his silly face went through flustered, embarrassed, and happy round and around.

"But memories they laaaaast."

She finished the line. She took a seat next to him and leaned into his shoulder. His fingers began to move again. She continued.

"Summer winter, year by year."

"Year by year."

"I hear this song inside my ear."

"Try to restart."

"And be smart, but thoughts of you haunt my heart."

They harmonized the last line. She slid her hand to his far hip, swaying a little with him to the beat as he played.

"No I don't want to be alone now, just biding my time. I need somebody dearly, and darling you'd be sublime."

"Spring and Autumn, Up and down."

"Up and down."

"I keep trying to escape this town."

"And I just might,"

"I'll take flight…"

"Maybe tomorrow not tonight."

He finished with a mellow flourish. They sat there as the last chords reverberated in the tiny room.

"My mom played that song sometimes. It was one of Dad's favorites."

"It's an excellent song."

She turned him to face her and gave him one soft kiss. His hand wrapped around her shoulder, pulling him to her.

"Whirlwind romances, huh?" she asked. "So exciting and they never end up well."

"Ochaco," he stopped. She could feel his jaw working, trying to come up with the words. "Whatever happens at the end of this, I just want you to know, that I'm really happy you came into my life. I wouldn't trade this time with you for any other."

She kissed his cheek and kept her eyes on him.

"Smooth talker. I bet you say that to all the girls."

"I don't think I've ever said it to anyone."

She liked that. The exhaustion from the week finally caught up to her. What lay ahead of her was unknown, but here, in this moment, she was loved and at peace.

"I know I owe you a couch."

"And a bed. It was both, you know."

"Right, well about that," he shifted to face her fully.

"I don't know how much Yami told you, but it might not be safe for you at your place, and I was kind of wondering if you'd consider…I mean temporary of course-unless you end up liking it there and I'll stay on the couch and you can have my bed-"

She put a finger to his lips and waited for him to stop mumbling. His lips finally stopped, and she lifted her finger, a coy smile curling her lips.

"So huh…what do you think? Move in with me?"

"Okay, Izzy. I'll take your bed. But it's a lot bigger bed than what I'm used to. I might get lonely in there."

They stayed in that piano room next to the chapel until getting caught doing what they started doing would present a problem. They found an empty room to continue in peace.

The next day, one week after meeting him, Ochaco Uraraka moved in with Izuku Midoriya, and made his home her own.

Post Credits

Hawks took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. He'd been black bagged sometime ago, taken by van to some location deep underground, and left in this chair for a long time. Around him he could hear bubbling and smell disinfectant. That told him it was a lab of some sort, and probably medical.

The bag lifted off his face, flooding his eyes with visions of large test tubes and Dabi's stupid grin. Suspended in a green liquid, Hawks could make out many large and varied nomu staring at him with open unblinking eyes. A little man with glasses worked furiously behind the panel of a large test tube at the center. The tattered remains of Shigaraki floated in that tank.

"My apologies for the rough treatment you received, Hawks. Dabi assures me that you can be trusted, but one can never be too careful these days."

Hawks could hear the constant pump and release of an oxygen machine. A man in a fine suit was connected to the machinery, skin pulled taught and covering where his eyes should be.

"Afterall, I find that no one can really hurt you like family, and I'm going to need your help to put my wayward boy back in his place."

All for One stood up and approached Hawks. Dabi cut his restraints, and Hawks reached out and shook the hand of the most feared entity since the discovery of quirks.

Izzy you bastard, if I die because of this, I'll kill you.

END OF PART 1